


Central City Supernova

by aurorannitesky



Category: The Flash (TV 2014)
Genre: Alternate Universe, Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, F/M
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-07-16
Updated: 2019-07-23
Packaged: 2020-06-29 15:03:57
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 2
Words: 3,887
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/19832698
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/aurorannitesky/pseuds/aurorannitesky
Summary: Not every superhero has a team, but every superstar needs an entourage.





	1. Over In A Flash

**Author's Note:**

> My first The Flash fan fiction. I hope you enjoy and please let me know what you think! Thanks for reading.

_My name is Barry Allen and I’m the fastest man alive. No kidding. I’m really fast. So fast, I'm a superhero. They call me The Flash, or the Scarlet Speedster when the news-y types get poetic. Short story...I got struck by dark matter lightning. It gave me abs and my super speed. Speed like you can’t imagine. Speed like you don’t even see me zipping by you on your commute. Or speed like now. When I’m on my way to stop some idiot who actually believed they could steal tech from Mercury Labs while I was still protecting Central City._

_Don’t worry, though. This side trip will be over in a flash..._

\---

Barry crossed the intersection of First and Main streets then eased into his graceful trademark slide. “You shouldn’t take that. It’s not yours.”

The new meta snarled at him. Her fingers gripped tight around the $200 million processor encased in a glass cylinder. She leaned into a defensive stance, flicked her head to one side. Barry felt the wave of air rushing towards him before the armored truck appeared in his periphery.

The Flash scoffed. “Child’s play,” he remarked.

Barry whooshed to his right and the flying vehicle careened into the ground then skipped across the pavement like a stone, leaving potholes like stone pizzas in its wake before it spun and rocked to a stop on the plaza in front of the skyscraper.

“Hey lady, that’s going on your tab.”

He rushed the woman, knocking her clean off her feet. He hit her square in the solar plexus and the microchip flew from her fingers. It was just as easy to cuff her with the power dampeners as it was to race to the cylinder and snatch it out of the air before the casing shattered to the ground.

“You got her, Flash.” The voice echoing in his headset communicator from halfway across the city belonged to his systems and tactician engineer, Cisco Ramon.

“Yeah, and it’s not even 9 a.m. yet.” Police sirens barreled in from all directions. Barry looked down at the woman at his feet. “Sounds like the cavalry’s arrived. Cisco, have you thought of a name for her yet?”

“Eh, I’m still working on it. You can’t rush genius.”

Barry chuckled at the quip then pivoted and sped off. He moved so fast that one minute Detective Joe West was hurrying out of his cruiser and the next he had the multimillion-dollar tech in his possession along with a restrained, yet-to-be-named metahuman resting on the back seat of his car.

“She’s all yours, Detective. Oh and tell your daughter, The Flash is still her biggest fan.”

He vanished in a streak of yellow lightning and furious wind before the cop could utter a word in response.

\--

“You do know that man has a gun and license to shoot, don’t you?”

“You can’t shoot what you can’t see, Cisco.”

Cisco brought a finger to his lips then pointed it at him. “Touché.”

“Yes, well played, Flash.”

“Dr. Wells!” Barry jumped to his feet and tried awkwardly to relax.

Dr. Wells continued. “While your charm may amuse the people of Central City, Flash, we have all worked very hard in recent months to make the police are our friends. It would be nice if you could refrain from antagonizing the head of their Metahuman task force. Especially seeing as you’re such a big fan of his daughter.”

Barry cleared his throat. He couldn’t see the sarcasm on Dr. Wells’ face, in fact, he couldn’t see Dr. Wells’ face at all, but he could feel the heat of embarrassment spreading over his cheeks. “Sorry. Yes, you’re right, of course, Dr. Wells.”

“Take a walk with me, Flash.”

Barry bid goodbye to Cisco and fell into a comfortable pace next to Dr. Wells. He’s responsible for this mess, these metahumans--good and bad. Doctor Harrison Wells of Star Labs fame, ran afoul of Central City’s affections when his particle accelerator blew up nine months ago. Barry slept through most of the events following the explosion, dying and coming back to life on a loop for weeks while stuck in his coma.

A lot's changed for both of them since the disaster. Dr. Wells, disgraced and humbled and perhaps sensing an opportunity, began revamping his image and his company almost at once. No longer just the world-renowned scientist behind the particle accelerator, Harrison Wells transformed himself into a media mogul, capitalizing on the new gold rush of the metahuman craze. Having lost the use of his legs as a result of the explosion, Dr. Wells became a more sympathetic figure than he would have been otherwise and his gambit paid off.

In the weeks after dark matter erupted through the city, people developed superpowers. Fame and notoriety came shortly after. All over the world, marketing companies sprung up overnight, claiming heroes and naming rights, trademarking personas, creating brands and selling anything from cereal to cars to coffee, all plastered with masked faces. It quickly became lucrative to have a superhero under contract, for both the companies and the hero.

Star Labs got a makeover in the conversion. Once a haven for scientific research and learning, Dr. Wells rebuilt the edifice into a hybrid of industry and innovation. Much of the inside still functioned as a laboratory, like Mercury Labs, but B-wing, where he and Wells were currently strolling, was reserved for the “stars”.

Barry felt awkward in the long silence between him and Wells as they traveled from the cortex through the rotunda. Usually by now, the doctor would’ve revealed his motives for their walk, but instead, they’ve meandering down a dim and lonely hallway Barry seldom frequented.

He must have been more upset about his stunt with the police than Barry thought.

It wasn’t his first run-in with Detective West. They have a history now. Barry was gifted his strange and wonderful powers on the night of the explosion but his speed took months to fuse with his body at a molecular level then months after he woke up for him to truly discover the extent of what he could do. And when he did, Barry did what came naturally to him. He helped people, saved them. As head of Central City’s Police Metahuman Task Force, Detective Joe West witnessed his triumphs. They even worked together to arrest Clyde Marten, a thief better known now as Weather Wizard.

Things have been going well and Barry didn’t really see what harm his mouthing off this morning could’ve actually caused. He’s done far worse.

Wells stopped his wheelchair before a door with no designation. “We’re here.”

“What’s here?” Barry asked.

“I considered for a long time whether or not this was a good idea. As I’m thinking about it now. I’m still not sure if I’ve made the right choice.”

“What choice, Dr. Wells?”

“We are very close, Flash. My legislation to cement Metahuman Rights is one really good thing away from happening. We can protect people with extraordinary abilities like you, Flash, while you’re out there risking your life to save others. People like me. You can make that happen, Flash. This new bill is real.”

“I do what I can, Dr. Wells. You saw me out there, taking out that woman before she could do whatever it was she was planning on using that enhancer chip to do. And I don’t mind showing up at places I would’ve never been invited to before all this, but I’ve told you before politics isn’t for me. I’ve told you that before.”

“I know.”

“So what’s this about?”

Dr. Wells sigh and said, “It’s something else you can do.”

His benefactor went back down the hallway the way they came and left him alone with no idea what waited for him on the other side of the door.

Barry shook his head, still confused. He stared at the entrance, exhaled then placed his palm on the security pad.


	2. Chapter 2

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> When The Flash met Iris West. And when Iris West met Barry Allen.

Whisper-quiet and smooth as silk, the door glided to his right. Barry stepped inside the room.

“Welcome, Flash. Please have a seat.” 

The voice of Star Labs’ artificial intelligence welcomed him to three stark white walls, each one decorated with a massive, colorful painting in sleek black frames. Straight ahead, a panoramic window faced east towards downtown. 

“My biometric readings indicates your gherlin levels are slightly elevated for you. May I recommend the cheese danish while you wait? Your guest will arrive shortly.”

“And who might that be, Gideon?”

“I’m sorry, Flash. That answer is outside of my logic protocol.”

Barry sneered at the supercomputer’s surreptitious response. He moved deeper into the room to two sofas opposite each other. Between them stood a low coffee table where the aforementioned cheese danishes, fruits, cheese, and croissants piled atop a silver platter next to four small bottles of water arranged in a square. 

He sat, feeling like he’d been sent to the principal’s office. Perhaps rebelling against the idea, he stretched his lean legs onto the sofa. Barry’s height shot up the summer before high school. But when he got zapped with superpowers, dark matter transformed his lean frame into a sinewy new build. Last night’s structural fire at a 20-story building in the city center took every supercharged muscle in his body to put out, so he decided a few minutes relaxing into the cushions would do him some good. 

Star Labs provided lavish accommodations for their heroes, the hero’s teams, and other support personnel. Barry opted to maintain a modest apartment close to his childhood home. He still ate Sunday dinners with his parents. 

The Flash rejected signing a Hero’s Contract for a long time. For weeks, Barry sped past billboards and the sides of buses with messages directed at him. TV ads and social media accounts vied for his attention. Every metahuman marketing firm left public pleas for him to sign with them. He didn’t bother.

Then one day, Dr. Harrison Wells announced he had invented what he called the Virtual Invisibility Shield Complex or the VISC. And that changed everything. 

As far as Barry could tell, only Gideon’s tech rivaled it. 

“How much longer, Gideon?” The AI remained silent. It would do that. Barry was used to it ignoring him when the answers were outside of its logic protocol. He considered her danish recommendation as he said, “Hey, you know, this isn’t half bad. It’s been non-stop for days--”

The door swooshed opened again.

“Welcome to Star Labs, Miss West.”

Using normal speed, Barry jumped to his feet. He stood, staring at the woman, slack-jawed and wondering.

She approached him and said, “You must be The Flash. I’m--”

“You’re Iris West, founder of the Metahuman Reporter. Also, daughter of Detective Joe West and the second most famous customer at the Jitters on North Pine Street.” 

She extended her hand to him and remarked, “That’s so not weird or anything.”

Barry blushed then reminded himself to shake her outstretched hand. He’d said too much for a first greeting. And judging by the edge in her voice, Iris did, in fact, find him weird. 

“Thanks for the invite, Flash.”

“No, it’s my pleasure to have you,” he told her despite having nothing to do with arranging their meeting.

Iris walked away. She stayed to the perimeter of the room, surveying it he decided, though it was difficult to tell for sure. 

The sole purpose of the VICS was also its greatest drawback. It was a new way to see the world. The complex yet elegant machine acted like a cloaking device around Star Labs, distorting your perception of reality just enough to obscure the visual details of the human face. 

News of the VICS went viral. Dr. Wells assured the world he would make it so that metahumans could come and go and even live inside Star Labs without fear of revealing their true identities. It was a genius idea, making Star Labs the only firm that could guarantee a superhero’s anonymity. The move practically put the competition out of business, one slow death at a time. 

For Barry Allen, the VISC meant relief. He could be himself and his alter ego. Flash could have the limelight while he could have coffee and admire a certain patron from a distance. And the best part was no one, not his parents, not the police. Not even Cisco Ramon. Or even Dr. Wells himself knew he wore the mask. It was the one condition of his contract.

Iris continued her stroll around the room, passing behind one sofa. Barry’s gaze followed her movement, excited to be in such close quarters with his pseudo-celebrity crush but frustrated by the VICS veiling the beautiful woman. 

He cleared his throat. “I, ah, enjoy reading,” he blurted out. “I, um, I read a lot. Sometimes I check you out — I mean your blog. Sometimes I check out your blog.” 

On her blog, the tagline read: still a believer in the impossible. In the early days, Iris asked her followers to believe too. Now that everyone knew about metas, her tone hardened somewhat. She’d grown cynical of what superheroes had become, of firms like Star Labs that profited from good deeds, and most of all, people like Harrison Wells. 

When The Flash first appeared on the scene, what he could do coupled with a face no photographer or news crew could catch up with, cemented his legend in Central City almost overnight. His mystic made the people want more. 

Iris fed the masses those stories. She made The Flash famous. She coined his superhero name, after initially describing him as The Streak—a helpful anonymous comment to a post at the Metahuman Reporter may have persuaded her to use the moniker Flash instead. 

Barry wondered if Wells denied her naming rights and that’s what soured her view of the scientist. 

But Iris still praised The Flash and the other heroes. And she never hesitated to ask the tough questions of her father and his Metahuman Task Force, or chastise the CCPD whenever they went too far. 

Barry’s brain was running as fast as his feet, but he slowed it down and asked her, “Um, what, why are you here?”

She scoffed and answered, “Didn’t Harrison Wells tell you?”

“No, he didn’t actually, but I’m not upset about it in case you’re wondering.” Barry pointed to his face which looked as camouflaged to her as hers did to him. She laughed like he hoped she might. 

He gestured to the sofa. “Um, please, have a seat.” 

“Thanks.”

Barry considered following her, course-corrected and sat on the edge of the sofa across from her. She moved slower than he did, more cautious of her environment. Iris touched the sofa cushion before she sat down. That tactile response wasn’t uncommon for newbies of the VISC.

“It’s my first time really being inside it.”

“Yeah, I was the same way my first time too. You get used to it after a while.”

“Not sure if I believe that, Flash.”

Spread half a mile wide around Star Labs, the reflective energy of the VICS had little impact on objects like sofas or walls, but seeing your distorted self amongst the normality of objects around you wasn’t a far stretch from what Barry imaged an acid trip might feel like.

Iris pulled out her phone and placed it on the table between them. 

“Oh, you’re here to interview me?”

“Well, you didn’t think this was a date, did you?” She chuckled, stopped abruptly then said, “Wait, do the firms do that sort of thing?”

“Ah, no. I don’t know. I haven’t. No.”

“I’m not judging. I can’t imagine it would be easy for you to date anyone except perhaps another superhero, considering you’re busy all the time trying to keep the city safe.”

“Yeah, well, I’m not really looking for that, right now anyway.”

“So you’re single?”

“Yes! Very single. You?”

She ran her palms down her thighs then tucked her a chunk of loose curls behind an ear. “Ah, my readers are interested in finding out more about The Flash, not me.”

He had his doubts, considering himself one of her readers who was highly invested in that story.

“Why don’t we get started?” Iris asked as she pressed the record button on her phone. “So Flash, as Central City’s most powerful metahuman, do you support the Metahuman Rights bill?”

“Ah, yeah. Sure. I think it’s important all metahumans feel their identity’s and their families are protected.”

“Even the ones you lock up in your private prison without due process?”

“It’s not... It’s not my prison. And come on Iris, that question isn’t exactly fair? I mean Star Labs was the only place even capable of controlling meta powers in the beginning. I’m sure once CCPD’s done modifying Iron Heights, all the prisoners will be transferred there.”

“Yeah, sure.”

Barry thought for certain she’d be nicer to him. His crush waned a little, but a new respect blossomed. She had no plans to sugarcoat this interview.

“What about the recent changes Harrison Wells made to the bill?”

“Look, I know Dr. Wells isn’t exactly your favorite person right now. The accident changed a lot of people’s lives, mine included, but he is trying to make up for it. He’s done a lot to make the city safe.”

“Since he blew it up.”

“Yeah, since he blew it up. Iris, the Metahuman Rights bill isn’t just about us heroes. It’s really about people with no powers. People like my parents, like you.” He took in a long breath, exhaled it and continued. “When I’m running, Iris, it’s like no other feeling on Earth. If I wanted to, I could zoom down Main Street, shattering out every window in every car and every building, explode through the doors of CCPD and take out every cop before they unholstered their gun… And no one could stop me. Iris, that kind of power… That kind of power needs to be held in check.”

“So how do you do it? What stops you from doing whatever you want?”

“I don’t. It’s just that what I want to do, is to keep everyone safe.”

After a pause, she nodded and let out a deep breath then pressed the button on her phone again. “Okay, great! Well, thank you for your time, Flash.”

“Wait, that’s it?”

“I think I have everything I need.”

She grabbed her phone, stood and headed in the door's direction.

Barry caught her by the arm. “Iris, wait.”

“Listen Flash, my readers, this entire city appreciates what you do for us every day, but I didn’t come here for beautifully rehearsed company lines.”

“Company lines? Hey, no. I’m not like that.”

Iris gently pulled her arm from his hand and told him, “You’re the biggest hero Star Labs’ got, Flash. Every single person in Central City loves you, including me, so if I write what you just said, no one will care about finding out the truth.” 

The door opened again and this time Dr. Wells was on the other side.

“Is everything all right?”

Iris looked at him and said, “I have to go.”

“So soon, Ms. West?” Dr. Wells asked.

She touched her head. “It’s my fault. I had another appointment actually, but when you offered me a chance to talk to The Flash, I couldn’t resist.”

Barry ducked his head to hide a stupid grin. His face warmed again.

“Well, that’s a shame, Ms. West. Isn’t, Flash? Perhaps another time then?”

Barry snapped his focus back to the others. Instead of wondering if now was a good time for Barry Allen to ask Iris out on a date, he paid attention to the tense exchange between Dr. Wells and her instead. The same strange silence he experienced with Wells earlier returned and the three of them shared it for a moment.

“Well, it was nice meeting you finally, Flash.”

Barry shook Iris’ hand again then watched her leave. Dr. Wells’ eager assistant, Caitlin, met her in the hall and escorted her away.

“So what do you think, Flash?”

“She isn’t what I thought she’d be like.”

“No, I meant you meeting with her again sometime.”

Barry gave himself a moment to answer. “I don’t think she’ll help get the Metahuman bill passed, Dr. Wells. What about Linda something at Central City Picture News? She likes me.”

“You think that’s the way to go? Linda Park is quite fond of you, but she doesn’t have the reputation Iris West does.”

Barry knew that although the room was staged to give him and Iris a sense of privacy, Dr. Wells wouldn’t miss the opportunity to listen in on their conversation. And at present, he felt emboldened to let him know he wasn’t blind to that fact.

“You heard what she said. This is my city now. The people love me and they’ll force the mayor to sign anything I tell them is good for metahumans.”

Even though his eyes couldn’t confirm it, Barry sensed Dr. Wells’ pride in his reasoning. 

“I think you might be right,” he replied. “I’ll make the call to Ms. Park. Will you be ready?”

“I will.”

—

Iris scanned the papers in front of her, narrowing her brows to concentrate. None of the typical connections her brain made fired. She had pieces of a mystery yet couldn’t fill in the blanks.

“One The Flash, two sugars and a splash of cream.” 

A tall guy sat a Jitters mug of her precise coffee order on a bare spot under her nose.

“I didn’t order this.”

“Oh, I know. I did. Hi, I’m Barry Allen and you’re Iris West, of the Metahuman Reporter.”

Iris sighed, resting her elbow on the table she propped her head up with her fist. “Wow, today must just be my day for weird encounters.”

“Sorry? I didn’t catch that,” he said.

She straightened, pretending to perk up. 

The green in the stranger’s plaid shirt matched his eyes. They were beautiful. His brown hair, carefully parted at one side, was slicked back. His boyish face beamed and without an invitation, Barry Allen sat himself down at her table. 

Seemingly unconcerned by her confusion, he slurped something steaming hot from the mug in his hands then said to her, “I told the barista downstairs the coffee was for you and he knew your exact order.” He raised an eyebrow and added, “To a tee.” 

Iris thought he sounded annoyed. As if Geoff, Jitter’s Thursday afternoon barista, had violated her privacy in a more offensive way than what he’d done by possibly stalking her and definitely invading her personal space. 

This sort of thing happens. A consequence of running a blog with some notoriety and being out in public, specifically at this table, at this Jitters on North Pine Street several days a week. Even Flash’s remark showed that the city’s biggest superhero knew of her watering hole of choice. 

“You look like you’ve got a lot going on here,” he said staring back at her, gleeful.

She’d be inclined to agree with him, if he wasn’t being so rude. Iris tilted her head, taken aback by the man’s unyielding brazenness. “Yeah, I am. Can I help you?”

“Actually, I thought maybe you could use my help.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hope you enjoyed this update. Thanks to everyone who read/commented on Chapter 1 and for those who came back to for more. Love to hear your thoughts. Kudos and comments are always appreciated.


End file.
